Parties with meaning create lasting memories

It's that time of year again...my daughter's birthday is just around the corner. Of course I love planning parties, but I have to admit I've created a monster. "What are we going to do for my birthday?" is the question of the week. Interestingly enough, I thought we had already decided that. Weeks ago, she told me she wanted a Hawaiian Luau themed party. Great, no argument from me. There are tons of fun products out there for a Hawaiian themed party. We started making lists of decorations, food and drink ideas, and activities. We talked about what she would wear and possible party favors. I was set to put the plan in motion and then she started asking the question again, "what are we going to do for my party?"

She had decided that a Luau was not "original" enough. (Where does she get this stuff? Oh yea, from me. I knew those words would come back to haunt me one day.) I assured her that it was original, that we have never had a Hawaiian themed party before and, in fact, she has never been invited to a Hawaiian themed party. She was not buying it. She knew that Luau parties were not a new idea. However, she really liked everything else about it; the menu, drinks, decorations and activities that we had discussed.

What was missing was the personal connection to the theme. It was missing meaning. When she was younger and in love with princesses (as most little girls are) we had a Princess for a Day party. The year she was a flamingo for Halloween she had a Pink Flamingo birthday party. When we moved into our new neighborhood and wanted to get to know all the new neighborhood children, we had a Backyard Carnival. But this year there didn’t appear to be a reason for selecting the Luau theme.

After just a few minutes, we quickly came up a new twist and now it works. We decided on a “Hang 1o with Meg” party. She doesn’t surf but she is turning 10 years old and she wants a Hawaiian themed party. So, hang loose dude, it’s all good.